Indy Colts Add Bates To Practice Squad

Former Westbrook HS and UMaine defensive standout Trevor Bates has been signed to the Indianapolis Colts practice squad. He was one of the final cuts on Saturday as the team got down to a 53 man roster.

Bates is the only linebacker among the nine players signed to the practice squad. He was the Colts 7th round draft pick back in April.

Check out some of the rules and regulations for practice players...

Who is eligible for a spot on the practice squad?

Each team can keep 10 players on its practice squad.

Up to four of those 10 players can have two accrued NFL seasons. So, was a player on the 53-man roster for at least six games of two NFL seasons? Sorry, they’re out of luck.

It used to be that three weeks of an NFL season spent on a practice squad counted as one full season of practice squad eligibility. Now, that number has been increased to six weeks, which expands some players’ eligibility.

A player can spend no more than three seasons on any practice squad.

How are practice squad players compensated?

Practice squad players must be paid at least $6,900 per week for the 2016 season. If a player is on a team’s practice squad for the entire regular season, that amounts to $117,300 for the year.

Teams can pay practice squad players as much as they’d like. They’re not limited to that minimum, and practice squad salaries don’t count toward the cap. The Rams, in fact, paid tackle Isaiah Battle a whopping $25,888 per week. Most teams tend to pay salaries closer to the minimum, though.

If a practice squad player is signed to another team’s active roster, they will receive a minimum of three game checks, no matter how long they remain on that active roster. They can be cut after a week, but they’re still getting three game checks.

Does a practice squad player have to stay on the practice squad?

A practice squad player can be signed by another team, as long as the signing team adds the player to the 53-man roster. A practice squad player cannot be signed to another team’s practice squad.

A player can, however, be signed to another team’s practice squad if their original team releases them.

An opponent cannot sign a player off of a rival’s practice squad to use them to prepare for an upcoming game. Say the Saints are getting ready to play the Falcons, and Sean Payton wants to be sneaky, so New Orleans wants to sign a player off of Atlanta’s practice squad. The Saints can’t do that fewer than five days before the game against the Falcons, and if there’s a bye week before that matchup, the minimum is nine days.